Unwrap Me
by claraowl
Summary: In which Kyoko and Kuon have fluffy Christmas times, test how Kyoko reacts to alcohol, and Kuon remains a gentleman. Features one of Kyoko's characters from my "My Heart, Yours" series of fics.


**Guess who's baaaaack~! Me! I survived my first semester of college, and to prove it I bring you this oneshot of sin and fluff (but mostly sin, though it technically contains neither lemon nor lime). I don't own Skip Beat, but I do sort of own Annabel, since she's from my other fic, so… yes. Enjoy her antics and Happy Christmas/whatever else you celebrate!**

It had been a good idea in theory, really it had, especially given their current relations. It made perfect sense, in theory, for her to test her drinking ability with someone she trusted - especially since social drinking was such an important part of the culture and she was now of age. Besides, it only made sense for her to learn how to drink with someone experienced - and as her very best friend tended to avoid alcohol, that only left her with the option of him.

So how, exactly, did that turn into _this?_

Kuon was left to wonder exactly that as he stared at his fiance, who giggled at him while wearing little more than ribbons.

(Let's back up a bit, shall we, dearest reader?)

That week had started calmly, with the pair of them going about their separate morning schedules before meeting up for lunch. Of course, as Kyoko is involved, any day (or week, for that matter) that starts calmly inevitably results in chaos, be it positive or negative - but the happily engaged couple somehow had yet to catch on to that little fact. Thus, the lunch date and well-intentioned plan. They had met up at their favorite small restaurant - well, second favorite, after Darumaya - for hamburg steak with fried egg on top. Since that Friday happened to be Christmas, Lory had given the day off to his employees, being the Lovemon that he was. The pair agreed that it would be an ideal time for them to spend the day together, as it was both Christmas and Kyoko's birthday (the Happy Grateful party had been held the week before due to scheduling issues), and then conduct the test in the evening.

And up until the latter part, the plan went perfectly. They had an excellent day out, balancing their own desires with what would work for the press, though of course taking the former more into account. They sought out various carousels (which had become quite popular ever since their unintentionally well-publicized first date), wandered around several parks, and gave their custom to Darumaya before retiring to Kuon's apartment for the night, Kuon with the threat of the taisho's knives hanging over his head. After they put their coats away, the pair exchanged gifts, then headed to the kitchen, where Kyoko whipped up a noodle dish while Kuon mixed their drinks.

"And here I thought you were completely useless in the kitchen," she teased, bumping him with her hip as she passed by to get some spices from the cupboard.

"Hey, I can sort of make grilled cheese sandwiches now." His grin only slightly ruined the effect of his falsely wounded voice.

"Emphasis on _sort of_."

He chuckled, unable to deny that, and stuck the drinks in the fridge to cool. "I'll go set up the living room so we can eat. I borrowed one of Boss's kotatsus for tonight."

"Oh, a kotatsu! I haven't used one since last year, before the one taisho and okami-san had broke because the hotpot weighed too much!" The noodles sizzled; the scent of spices wafted through the kitchen and into the living room, where Kuon was prepping the kotatsu.

"Smells like heaven, princess!"

"You say that every time I cook!" she called back, scooping the food into two bowls.

"That's because it's always true!"

"Says the man who barely eats," Kyoko scoffed, coming into the room with bowls in hand, both of which Kuon took from her, pecking her on the cheek as he did so.

"Coming from the woman who has _ruined_ me for all other food," Kuon retorted, setting the bowls down on the table and waving Kyoko to sit. She did so, glancing at the newly installed, sheet-covered oddity in the corner of the room.

"You flatter me, love. And might I inquire what you're doing with that bedsheet?"

"You might. You might also stop asking such suggestive questions and then acting as if you don't know _exactly_ where you make my mind go."

She blinked then laughed, not having realized at first what he meant. "Oh, come on! You know most of them aren't intentional."

"Emphasis on _most of them_ ," he grinned, using her own words against her as he leaned down and plugged something into the wall, causing the mysterious object beneath the sheet to glow with small, multi-colored circles.

Kyoko's retort died on her lips as she leaned forward, realization sparkling in her eyes. "Kuon, you _didn't_."

"I believe that you'll find that I did," he chuckled, and carefully slid the sheet off of the Christmas tree. "I may have woken up a little early this morning and decided that this corner was a bit drab. And that I wanted to see you in the light of Christmas lights. But mostly the first one, I swear. Really."

"It's beautiful," she breathed, gazing up at the tree, which was taller than Kuon himself. "I wish I could've been here to help you."

"About that," he said, grabbing a small box off of the side table, and offering her his free hand, "I couldn't quite reach the top to put the star on. Care to help me?"

"I would love to." She allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and into his arms, and if he happened to duck his head a little so their lips met, who was she to complain?

"Shoulders, you think, princess?"

"Sounds like a plan. Sit down so I can climb on?"

He obliged, and was not remotely distracted by the sensation of having her thighs on either side of his head. Really, he lied to himself as he stood up, holding her ankles to keep her stable, he was definitely not thinking about her having her thighs around his head, but with her ankles around his back, _especially_ not with which filthy road her bedsheets comment had caused his mind to take. Nope, not at all - and that became less of a lie when she put the star on the top of the tree, a smile on her face that outshone the Christmas lights. He would never cease to be amazed at how happy she could be over something so simple, be it riding a carousel, communing with faeries in the park, or putting the star on a Christmas tree. She dropped a kiss on the top of his head once the star was in place, then spent a few moments with her head still in that position, enjoying the scent and silky feel of his blonde hair.

"Boop," she murmured into his hair, her lips tracing kisses on his scalp as she spoke. "Wanna let me down so we can eat?"

"As you wish, my princess," he said in return, and sat down so she could slide off of him. "It is your birthday, after all."

They ate bathed in the gentle glow of the Christmas tree, their legs warmed by the kotatsu, their stomachs warmed by the noodle dish, and their hearts warmed by each other. Kuon insisted on singing the birthday song to her - both the actual song and the parody song including monkeys - and Kyoko, insisting that Kuon wasn't eating enough of his meal, picked a noodle out of his bowl with her chopsticks and lifted it to his mouth. He took one end of the obnoxiously long and very fluff-convenient noodle in his mouth and used his chopsticks to hold the other end to her lips. She laughed, recognizing the scene, and obliged her sappy dork in make-believe that she enjoyed every bit as much as he did… which was, of course, why he did it in the first place.

After their meal, the pair cleaned up, during which Kyoko might have splashed Kuon with dishwater and he might have responded with a playful swat of his dishtowel, and Kuon got the drinks out of the fridge - both the alcoholic drinks and the water they would be using for safety and pacing purposes - and headed back out to the kotatsu, where Kuon handed Kyoko her drink, keeping a water for himself. They had decided previously that it would be better for him to be completely alert during all of this, as Kyoko is Kyoko and therefore about as predictable as the butterfly effect.

"One chocolate peppermint martini for my princess, candy cane included," he said with a flourish, giving a small seated bow once the glass was out of his hand. Kyoko let out a small squeal upon noticing the decoration clinging to her candy cane.

"A fairy! A Christmas fairy! She's so pretty, and dressed in… holly?" She squinted, slipping the fairy off of the candy cane and holding her above her head so as to get a better lighting.

"Not quite," Kuon grinned, pleased with the easy transition. "It's mistletoe."

"Hmm…" She gave him a sideways grin, glancing between the leaves and him. "I think the light would be better over here." Having said this, she raised herself to her knees, holding the fairy above Kuon's head. "Yes, that's definitely mistletoe."

"How convenient that you placed it right over my head."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she giggled, and then they were lost to the world for several long moments.

"Are you sure you're not drunk already?" he murmured when they separated at last.

"Well… it's Christmas, _and_ my birthday, _and_ I got you pretty much to myself the whole day, _and_ you just so happened to be a sappy romantic with the whole kotatsu-and-tree-and-fairy thing. So maybe on happiness?" She smiled up at him from her position on his lap before reaching over to pick up her drink.

"Well, I hope that you like my drinks better than you like my cooking," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"To be fair, it would be very hard not to," she said, and took a sip.

"Oi, I resemble that remark!" He chuckled against her neck, enjoying the shivers he could feel racing over her skin. "How is it?"

"It tastes like chocolate and peppermint - it's good! It doesn't taste weird at all."

"Glad you like it - now we know that I can make drinks _and_ grilled cheese. What a feast we can have!"

" _Kuon!_ " she laughed, rolling her eyes.

He took a sip of water, feigning innocence. "Maybe we should have had grilled cheese instead of pasta."

"I thought that the point of eating beforehand was so I _didn't_ get sick."

"You wound me, princess."

"I'm sorry, love. Want me to kiss it better?"

"Ah, but this was an emotional wound - I feel it all over. That would take some time… not that I would object."

"Well, I will be here all night," she observed, sipping her drink daintily.

Kuon observed her reddening cheeks for a moment, noting that that comment had been one of the few intentional ones, and took a gulp of his water in an attempt to cool his mind. "You do realize you're going to kill me one of these days with your careless comments."

"Then I'll just bring you back to life with true love's kiss."

"Oh, really? And how might that go?"

"Probably something a little like this." She demonstrated, and he licked his lips when she pulled away.

"You're right. I am rather good at mixing drinks."

 **~~~LINE~~~**

Approximately an hour and a half and two chocolate peppermint martinis later, Kyoko was feeling a bit odd. According to Kuon, she wasn't quite drunk yet, merely tipsy, but it was definitely quite different from what was normal for her - she felt lighter, somehow, as if she wasn't quite connected to herself anymore, and as if she were swaying, despite her side being firmly planted against Kuon's chest as he held her in his lap. A giggle bubbled out from between her lips, her grip on the bottle of water Kuon had handed her loosening a bit as she leaned up to press a kiss to his jawline.

"You smell like fairyland." She blinked a few times to focus on him before adding, "I wonder if you taste like fairyland, too."

"And what does fairyland taste like?" he murmured, catching her mercifully closed bottle of water before it could hit the floor.

"Mmm, like… chocolate and mint and… pine and cinnamon and… bubbles."

"Bubbles?"

"Like soap bubbles, just a little bit. Though I remember Maria telling me about how the president just bought a bunch of edible bubbles, so maybe it would be like that?"

"I suppose," he chuckled. "Though that seems like kind of a tall order, taste-wise."

"I believe in you, though," she smiled, tilting her head up at him lazily and reaching over to grab the mistletoe-bedecked fairy. "Get it? I be- _leaf_ in you! Like these leaves!"

"Leaves you just so happen to be holding over your head?"

She grinned at him, giggling some more. "Maaaaaaybe."

He rolled his eyes. "What am I going to do with you, love?"

"Kiss me so the goddess Freya doesn't get offended?"

"Well, we can't have that happening, now can we?"

"Nope!" she exclaimed, popping the 'p.' "Angry goddesses are terrifying forces to be reckoned with! So…" She threw her arms around his neck, swaying a bit as she did so, and kissed him. He steadied her as he responded, wrapping his arms a bit more firmly than usual around her back and sides. Deciding that she couldn't get decent access in their current position, Kyoko began wiggling around until she was straddling her husband-to-be and kneeling on the floor, her mouth now a bit higher, closer to his. Her movements were a bit more aggressive than usual due to her state of lowered inhibitions, but not too far from those of her sober self. After some time she pulled back to breathe, landing on his upper thighs and beaming up at him. "That was fun! Thank you, O goddess Freya!"

Kuon propped one elbow on the kotatsu and rested his chin on his hand, gazing at her with a fond smile playing across his lips. _Honestly, could she be any more adorable?_

Kyoko put down her water bottle and took a sip from her third drink of the night, earning herself a chocolate-peppermint moustache.

 _I guess she can._ "That should probably be your last one, princess. These are hitting you pretty hard."

"But they taste so-o-o good! Way better than your grilled cheese. I can't even taste any alcohol!" Having said this, she tipped her head back and drained the glass before Kuon had a chance to say anything. Kyoko blinked a few times as she lowered the glass, then put it on the table, lifting a hand to her head. " _Whoa."_

Kuon sat up straight, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes slowly closed; her hand made small circles on her temple.

"Kyoko, are you alright?" he asked again, this time more urgently. "Please say something, love."

Her hand dropped from her temple to his shoulder as her eyes opened and a lazy grin spread across her face. "Sorry to have to break it to ya, cowboy, but the boss Kyoko ain't 'zactly in the driver's seat right now."

" _What_?"

"Aw, c'mon, loverboy, ya remember me from the sleepover with Maria-chi! Annabel Cooper, country song's idea of a girl and the one who does all-l-l the things the boss Kyoko wants to do?" She ran her tongue across her teeth, raising her eyebrows.

"No, I remember you - how could I forget?" He gaped, flabbergasted by this turn of events. It did make some sort of sense; after all, Annabel was Kyoko plus cowgirl stereotypes and sans inhibitions - and what did drinking usually do if not rob someone of their inhibitions?

"Mmm, so what do ya wanna do, cowboy? Cuz I think ya said I was done drinkin' for the night, but I'm way too wound up t'sleep yet." She bounced to her feet, cracking her back once she was standing - thrusting her hips towards his face in the process, though he could not tell if this action was unintentional or not. She swayed for a moment before regaining her balance and wandering off, calling back to him that she was going to "go take a piss."

Kuon stared after her, struck with the realization that this was going to be a very long night.

* * *

Annabel emerged a few minutes later, fanning herself, to find Kuon sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. "S'matter, cowboy?" she inquired, sitting down on top of the kotatsu and turning it off. "Ya look like someone just popped yer balloon animal."

"Nothing, Kyoko - Annabel - nothing. I'm just a bit tired from all the excitement today." _Liar._

"Mmmkay, if ya say so," she shrugged, continuing to fan herself. "Ugh, it's so hot in here. Or is that from all th'alcochol?"

"Maybe - _Annabel, no!"_

But his plea came moments too late; with a soft _fwap_ , Kyoko's sweater smacked him in the face. Annabel stretched, showing off Kyoko's red-and-green polka-dotted bra. "Ahh, tha's much better. I dunno how she kept that on so long, I was boiling." She glanced down, as if just noticing bra, and tugged at the little bow between the cups, grinning. "Festive, eh, cowboy? Wonder if th'boss bothered to match the panties to the bra."

Kuon simply stared, his mouth slightly open as his fingers slowly tightened their grip on her sweater. "Kyoko -"

"I just _told_ ya, cowboy, she's not in charge righ'now." Leaning forward, she propped her elbows on her knees, raising an eyebrow at him. "So unless ya want me t'keep correctin' ya, start callin' me by m'name."

"Annabel, please put your shirt back on," he winced, trying to hand it to her.

"No way, cowboy! Didn't I jus' tell ya I'm boiling?" Her hand shot out and took the sweater from him, only to fling it across the room, where it slid behind a piece of furniture. Rolling her eyes, she found herself distracted by the candy cane still sitting in her glass from earlier. Her eyebrows arched as she plucked it out of the glass, glanced at Kuon, and slowly began sliding it between her pursed lips.

"W-Why don't I go get you some - some water," he suggested, standing abruptly. "To help you - uh - cool down. Yes. That."

Annabel smirked at his retreating figure, enjoying the view, and mentally high-fived with the equally drunken boss Kyoko in the meeting room - who was, in all actuality, sharing the driver's seat. Natsu came up behind the two of them and tilted her head over towards the Christmas tree, where Kuon had just happened to have left out some decorating materials. The three glanced at each other and smirked, an idea that in all truth seemed much better at the time forming in their collective mind.

Kuon was taking his sweet time in the kitchen, doing his absolute best to spend long enough fetching a cool bottle of water so that he could get ahold of himself. Yes, this turn of events had been somewhat unexpected, but it was nothing he could not handle while remaining a gentleman. Really. There were absolutely no problems with Kyoko, as Annabel, sitting toppless in his living room. None at all. He could and would keep his composure and take care of her until she could fall asleep, upon which he would go take a long, cold shower. This was nothing compared to what happened when she was Setsu, and they hadn't even been dating then, much less engaged! There would be nothing wrong with this situation, given their current relationship status, if she were not intoxicated; as she was, however, he would not, could not, make any sort of move. He could handle this, no matter what Annabel threw at him, and come out sane by the end of it. Yes, he forced himself to think as he finally fetched the water and started walking back to the living room, he could definitely -

"Hey, hot stuff. See something you like?"

\- _not_ come out of this sane.

"Annabel," he choked out, "what exactly are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she grinned, shimmying a bit so the sparkly ribbon she had wrapped around herself, covering little more than a bikini might, caught the light. Where the rest of her clothing had gone was anyone's guess, as Kyoko was likely too drunk to really know. Had Kuon not been so distracted by the image before him and her next line, he might have admired her ability to wrap ribbon so well in her current state. "Don't ya wanna unwrap yer present, Kuon? Ya've been a ver-r-r-ry good boy this year, after all."

He took approximately two steps forward before tripping on the leftover ribbon spool and landing face-first on the sofa. As he struggled to sit up, Annabel sauntered over to him, grinning.

"Looks like ya just fell for me all over again, cowboy!"

"Annabel, please put your clothes back on."

"But ya haven't unwrapped me yet! It's Christmas, an' I'm yer present!"

"Kyoko gave me my present earlier, that doll of her I requested," Kuon protested, somewhat weakly, given that immediately upon his managing to sit up, Annabel had straddled his lap.

"Yeah, but _her_ clothes don't come off," she smirked, winking at him as she started to play with the top button of his shirt. " _Mine_ already have."

"Please tell me you've still got your underclothes on."

"Why don't ya unwrap me and find out?" she giggled, finally managing to undo the top button of his shirt and moving on to the next one - before remembering her candy cane, which she had abandoned in her cup. She twisted around dangerously to fetch it, forcing Kuon to grab ahold of her waist to ensure that she didn't fall. Once she had attained her prize, she turned back to him and continued her ministrations on the sugary mint, pulling it slowing in and out of her mouth with slow deliberation, keeping eye contact with Kuon all the while.

"You are making it very hard for me to remain a gentleman, you realize," he gritted out, his hands still resting on her waist.

"Oh, I bet I'm making it nice and _hard_ for ya, cowboy," she purred, scooting forward to feel the truth of this statement, candy cane now dangling between her teeth. "I could get more into the holiday spirit and jingle yer balls for ya, if ya like."

Poor Kuon. Poor, poor Kuon. How could he respond to such a thing, especially coming out of the mouth of his sweet, innocent Kyoko, especially when she was clad in little more than a few strips of ribbon? Indeed, how could he respond to anything that was going on in the present moment, as her hips continued to press to his and her fingers returned to their work on his shirt buttons? How could he do anything more than let out a strangled gasp for air that seemed to refuse to reach his startled lungs, especially considering how much blood had decided to flow south? Yet he would be a gentleman. He just needed to figure out how to keep her safe - both from his rather loud primal side and from her current lack of equilibrium. First, he decided, clothes. It was cold in here; he could use that as an excuse to get her dressed, before his control snapped. Yes, clothes were an excellent option, even if it was one he was a bit sad to choose - after all, this was _Kyoko_. Sort of. He raised shaking hands to shift her off of his lap, only to have her catch them with her own and plant them firmly on her ribbon-clad breasts.

"C'mon, lover, don'tcha wanna unwrap yer extra-special present?"

"Where are your clothes?" he ground out, fighting the urge to squeeze what she had just given him to hold, trying to ignore the feeling of her small hands holding his to her silk-clad bosom - the thin ribbon doing little to disguise the treasure beneath.

"Clothes? Why would I need somethin' silly like that?"

"It's - it's cold in here. It's December."

"Well then, ya just need to warm me up, don'tcha?" she laughed, leaning forward and licking up the column of his neck. "Ya know, good ol'-fashioned body heat."

"Please tell me wh-where your clothes are," Kuon groaned, freeing his hands from hers with a huge amount of mental effort.

"Mmm, I dunno… everywhere. I kinda wasn't payin' attention to where I tossed em," she giggled, pressing kisses to his jawline. "I don't really like 'em much anyway. Th'boss Kyoko 'n' I don't really 'gree much 'bout style."

"Then you can wear some of mine. We just need to get some clothes on you."

She mulled over this for a moment, pulling back long enough to observe him with half-lidded eyes. "Mmm… 'kay, but _I_ get t'pick which ones."

"Fine, as long as you're dressed," he muttered, silently celebrating this small victory. "I need you to move so I can stand up."

"Nope!" Annabel grinned at him and swiveled to wrap her legs firmly around his waist, her arms looping around his neck. "C'mon, cowboy, take me for a ride!"

And so, shaking his head, Kuon stood, only to have Annabel start to slip; this necessitated his placing a hand firmly beneath her bum so as to keep her from falling. She laughed at this and accused him of wanting an extra handful, asking him if he couldn't wait until they got to the bedroom to enjoy his present. He did his best to ignore the words coming out of her mouth as they entered said room and he allowed her to drop unceremoniously onto his bed, realizing seconds too late how dangerous this could be for him.

"Geez, cowboy, ya don't have t'be so rough about it - not that I mind - but it doesn't take tha'much to get me into _yer_ bed." She said this while sprawling out on the mattress, giving him a rather delicious view: Kyoko, nearly naked in his bed, all too happy to be there. He forced himself to turn away, to walk over to his dresser, and to start pulling out articles of clothing from which she could choose.

"Just - pick whatever you like. I'll be out in the - in the hallway. Call me back in when you're dressed."

Her voice stopped him, calling out pitifully. "But Kuon, how am I s'posed to get outta these ribbons on my own? I need ya to unwrap me!"

"Annabel, you managed to get into them on your own, you are a capable young woman -"

"Yeah, but I'm also _really_ hammered ri'now. So my unknotting ability is like, zero, ya know? I'm sure I could try, but I'd probably get even _more_ wrapped up in it, and then it would take ya even longer to set me loose."

"But Annabel -" he began, turning back to look at her, only to be paralyzed by her impeccable puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, cowboy? These're really startin' to hurt… please just unwrap me already?"

With a sigh, he walked over and began working at the knots, impressed by how tightly her drunken self had managed to tie them. He definitely could not have her in pain - he was just unwrapping her so she would not get hurt, and so she could get some regular clothes on. Yes, that was definitely all. He was just being a gentleman; no dirty thoughts existed in his brain at that moment, none at all, nope, none. He definitely was _not_ noticing the lack of bra straps as the ribbons that looped over her shoulders fell away; he was _not_ noticing the lack of any sort of bra as the ribbons fell off, as the lower ribbons came unraveled as well, revealing a lack of any stitch of fabric -

"Annabel, where did you put your underwear?" he asked hoarsely, trying not to look, not to look, she was not in her right mind, he should not look without her sober permission….

"That's a secret," she giggled, leaning forward. "Hey, d'ya think that the ribbons would be strong enough t'keep yer wrists tied to the headboard?"

Had Kuon been drinking anything at that moment, he would have performed a spectacular spit-take. "No," he replied, after a moment. "No, they wouldn't. Now what do you want to put on?"

"I wanna put ya on _top_ of me," she purred, now kneeling on the bed. "C'mon, cowboy, lemme take ya for a ride."

"Ask me again when you're sober, and I'll say yes. For now, let's get you dressed. Come pick some clothes."

"Mkay, sounds like a plan," she replied, stretching before bouncing off of the bed and flouncing over to his closet, still completely bare. "Ooh, this one is cute 'n' soft."

"Good, wear it."

She pulled an old, red flannel button-up out of his closet and slipped it on, not bothering to button it up. "I don't think any of yer pants are gonna fit me, cowboy."

"Maybe… maybe my boxers would. They're elastic."

"So instead'a tryin' to get into my pants, yer tryin' to get me in yers?" A smirk slipped across her face as she sauntered over to him, pressing up against him, her hands trailing south. "Cuz that could definitely be arranged."

"Again, ask me when you're sober. They're in the top drawer over there."

She rolled her eyes but followed his directions, which led to several minutes of her rifling through his underwear drawer until she finally chose a simple pair of dark blue boxers and tried to step into them, but almost fell over in the attempt. This led to Kuon kneeling on the floor to help her step into them, giving him an up-close view of her intimate areas, given that she had yet to button up the flannel. He tried and failed to ignore this fact as she leaned on him for balance, and then as he slid the boxers up her hips, where they just barely rested without falling. Once dressed, she hugged him and allowed him to pick her up and carry her back out to the living room, where he handed her another glass of water. She stared at it for a few moments before asking for a straw; upon his return from the kitchen with straw in hand, he found her with the collar of the flannel pulled over her head.

"I'm a turtle. Turtles like straws."

"And what noise does a turtle make?"

"Ah-ah-ah-! At least, I think they do. I dunno. Straw, please?"

He handed it to her, observing with amusement as his fiance the turtle sipped her water for a few moments before setting it on the table. Her hands then retreated inside her sleeves and she flapped them about, insisting that she was now a sea turtle and that these were her flippers. He chuckled before offering her more water, telling her that sea turtles need plenty of hydration, a fact with which she agreed heartily, sipping more of her water and leaning against him on the couch.

"I'm getting sleepy, cowboy."

"So go to sleep, love. I'll tuck you in."

"Nooooooo… sleep is for the weak…" she groaned, smushing her face against his shoulder. "This flannel smells like ya… it's cozy…."

"You can keep it if you want."

"Really? Yay!" She perked up, suddenly quite awake, and threw her arms around him, splashing what was left of her water on his shirt. "Oops."

"It's okay, I can just go change."

"Here, lemme help ya with that," she mumbled, climbing back onto his lap to paw at the buttons of his now-sodden shirt. "I'll have it off o'ya in no time."

"Annabel, I'm sure I can get it, you should just rest."

"Shhhhh, shhhh… the buttons will mock me if I don't release them. I can't let them down."

He held in his laughter long enough to let her undo the buttons. When she was done, she stared at him for a few moments, stared at her unbuttoned flannel, and then back at him.

"It's really weird."

"What is, love?" he asked, tipping her jaw up to look at him.

"Wearing this - it's like I'm inside you, when really it should be the other way around!"

Kuon's brain short-circuited, causing his mouth to drop open, which in turn prompted Annabel to continue speaking.

"Or… well, I guess I could be inside you." Having said this, she raised herself up enough to lock their lips together, her tongue slipping inside to dance with his and jump-start his brain back to being semi-functional as the dance of slippery muscles slowed- just in time for her to fall asleep atop him, mumbling about button faeries. He would have been surprised at this had he not been familiar with her ease of quickly falling asleep, even in the most awkward of positions. So, laughing softly, he shifted her position until he could easily carry her cuddled up against his chest, and then took her back to his bedroom. There he tucked her into bed, thinking to be nearby to keep an eye on her if she needed something suddenly in the night - after all, she had never gotten drunk before, and so her body's reactions were unknown. He definitely was not partially doing this so he could sleep in the same bed as her. Really. There was nothing of the sort going on in his head as he sat down on the edge of his bed and tucked the covers around his sleeping fiance, finally buttoning up the flannel shirt to keep her warm. When he attempted to stand up again to close the bedroom door and get changed into pajamas, however, he found himself unable to do so; Kyoko's arms had wrapped around his waist, preventing him from getting very far. Chuckling, he gave in, simply pulling off the wet shirt and crawling in next to her, his heart warming when she cuddled up to him in her sleep. And so, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he followed his beloved into dreamland.

* * *

Thus far, Yashiro's morning had been mind-numbingly dull, given that it had consisted of doing paperwork. Granted, he had other time to do said paperwork, but he had woken up at four in the morning and has simply not been able to go back to sleep. He had figured that as long as he was up, he might as well be doing something productive - thus, the obnoxiously thick folder of paperwork. As many of the forms needed Ren's signature as well, he thought he might as well drop them off with a note before the day got started. As long as he was quiet, in theory there should be no problems with his popping in and out of the apartment before heading off to find breakfast somewhere.

Of course, today the key words would be 'in theory.'

Immediately upon entering the apartment, Yashiro knew something was different. Normally, one would guess that his clue would be Kyoko's shoes still sitting by the door, or even the Christmas tree still lit in the living room; however, Yashiro's eyes fell on something different: a red-and-green polka-dotted bra, thrown carelessly on the floor beneath an end table. Unsure how to respond to this - should he drop off the papers like usual? Should he turn around and run now? - he decided to step further into the apartment to gather further information. A strange scent hung in the air, almost as if someone had gotten a candy cane drunk, and there were several empty glasses scattered throughout the room, as well as what appeared to be the rest of the bra's clothing companions. Turning, he noticed that Ren's bedroom door was open; this struck him as something of an oddity, as Ren usually kept it shut. After a few moments of hesitation - after all, he had a suspicion of what he might see, given the state of the apartment, but really, there might be extenuating circumstances - he padded up to the threshold and peered inside.

Kyoko was lying in Ren's arms, dressed in what was unmistakably one of Ren's old shirts, cuddled up to the man as if they slept together every night; Ren, shirtless, was holding her, one of his hands slipped under her shirt and resting on her bare back. Yashiro gasped, dropping his folder of paperwork, which of course decided to fall as noisily as possible. Ren's eyes cracked open, his arms tightening around Kyoko protectively; she made a small noise in her sleep and slid closer to him. Ren's murderous gaze met Yashiro's, and the older man feared for his life; he swore in that moment that those eyes were B.J.'s, the ones he had only really seen onscreen… eyes that promised nothing but the most painful of deaths. Leaving the papers where they were, he turned on his heel and fled the apartment, waiting until he was safely out of the building to call the president and make the report. Kuon, exhausted, decided to deal with the papers later and went back to sleep.

* * *

Several hours later, Kuon's eyes opened once again, though not, this time, due to any outside noise. Kyoko was still close to him, her breathing deep and even in sleep, a soft smile gracing her face. There was some sunlight filtering in through the window, dancing through the room to shimmer in her hair. He really could get used to this, Kuon reflected, resting his head against hers and breathing in her scent. He could get used to waking up with Kyoko in his arms, happy and safe; he could get used to the lack of nightmares that usually haunted his dreams, the ones her mere presence seemed to chase away. Pulling back enough to see her hand, he smiled at the view of her engagement ring - he had meant to put it on the bedside table last night, but had forgotten in the chaos. Really, how could he have guessed that she would have reacted to the alcohol the way she did? Not that he was complaining….

Speaking of alcohol, he should probably go get a few things ready - water, aspirin, toast - to help heal his princess when she woke up with what promised to be a nasty hangover. He gently disentangled himself from Kyoko and stood, watching with amusement as she stole his pillow to snuggle with in his absence. After getting dressed, he gathered up the paperwork that his frightened manager had abandoned on the floor and made his way out to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water and drop the papers on the table, before grabbing some aspirin from the bathroom to leave with the water on the bedside table. Having done so, he set about on the rough journey of cleaning up the carnage from the previous night - and realizing what Yashiro must have seen upon entering the apartment, what he must have assumed. With the knowledge of the damage control he would have to do later - especially when the supposed news reached the president - he continued with the cleanup process, keeping an ear out for any movement from the bedroom where his beloved slumbered.

Kyoko, for her part, did not awaken until several hours later, when Kuon had finished cleaning up, had dealt with his paperwork, and had decided to come lie down again next to his sleeping beauty.

"Nooo… the potato salad…." she groaned into the pillow, whimpering at the movement of the mattress. "The chain snakes… are gonna… get eaten…."

"It's fine, princess," he whispered, smoothing her hair off of her face. "No one is going to let them get eaten."

His reassurance was met with a soft snore, followed by a snort that led to Kyoko jerking awake. "The potato sala - oww, owwwww…."

"Aspirin?" he murmured, shaking out the appropriate dosage and readying the glass of water.

"Please," she whimpered. "It feels like Bo's leading the Lala Land marching band through my head, crowing at the top of his lungs and banging on a gong or something."

"Why is there a gong in a marching band?" he inquired, nonplussed, as he handed her the pills.

"No clue, and thank you." She swallowed them, then took a long sip of water.

"No problem, princess. Stomach doing okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. I think I might wait a little before having anything, though. And I need to use the bathroom, so excuse me."

"Certainly," he smiled, scooting out of the way so she could stagger over to the restroom. He hid a snort when he heard her cursing the light bulb.

Later, over some toast, Kyoko brought up the topic that had been hanging in the air since she had awoken. "What happened last night? Why am I wearing your clothes? Did we…?"

"We did not. You turned into Annabel, and she decided that she preferred ribbons to your clothes, and then my clothes to ribbons, among… other things."

"That explains the memory of trying to figure out how to tie on a ribbon," she muttered darkly, taking a bite of toast. "Did- did you mind? Was I too forward?"

"Had you been doing any of that while sober, I would have been more than happy to oblige you. The only part I minded was that I knew it would be wrong to oblige your demands and suggestions in that state - or rather, Annabel's." Seeing her expression, he added, "It's fine, love. It just surprised me a bit, but it's not like I didn't enjoy it as well."

She nodded and took another small bite of her toast. "What else did I - did Annabel do?" Kuon, chuckling, told her everything that had happened, including Annabel's innuendos and suggestions. When he had finished, Kyoko stared at him for a few moments, horrified, before mumbling, "Remind me to never get drunk in public. Or in general."

"I will do my best, princess." He took a bite of toast before he spoke again. "Though I must say, I was surprised by some of the things Annabel said."

Kyoko rocketed to her feet, her face glowing, her headache fortunately waning due to the medicine. "I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM I SWEAR - I DEFINITELY DIDN'T DO RESEARCH OR ANYTHING AND ESPECIALLY NOT BECAUSE OF A WEIRD DREAM YOU WERE IN NOPE NOT AT ALL - STOP LAUGHING AT ME, KUON!"

"I - I'm sorry, princess," he choked out, "I'm flattered, really - and I'm not laughing at _you_ , per se… you just sounded like my internal dialogue from last night, is all. Please sit back down?"

Huffing, she dropped back into her seat, cheeks aflame.

Unable to help himself, Kuon continued, "A dream?"

"We're engaged. I'm allowed to have that kind of dream about you." Her fingers ripped what was left of her toast in half.

"Never said you weren't - and again, I'm flattered, love." Sensing that some discomfort remained, he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "In fact, I had one of that sort about you last night."

Her face grew a shade darker, but she asked, "Did it reflect reality a bit more, then? Since you didn't have to imagine anymore?"

"Oh, most definitely." He grinned at her then, eyes dark as he slipped a hand around her waist. "And might I add that I very much liked what I saw?"

"You might, and _I_ might remind you that we agreed to wait for the honeymoon," she said, leaning against him as she continued to eat her toast. "C'mon, eat your toast, love."

"I know, I know." He dropped a kiss on her head before taking a bite. "It's going to be worth the wait."

"How do you know that? What if I'm so terrible that I give you a black eye or something?" she teased, nudging him with her elbow.

"Then we have a fun story to tell, a trip to the hospital, and a good excuse to do a lot of practice."

"Mmm… I'm looking forward to it. Us getting married."

"Just a few more months, then we get to wake up together every day," he grinned, booping her nose with his mostly-uneaten toast.

"Hopefully _not_ as hungover as I was today, though it's not as bad as I expected."

"That would be a plus," he agreed, stretching, and promptly knocked the folder of paperwork off of the table.

"What is all this?" Kyoko inquired, leaning out of her seat to help him pick up the fluttering leaves of boredom.

"Paperwork gibberish that Yashiro-san dropped off this morning when we were sleeping."

"When we were… sleeping?" she repeated, realization dawning on her. "When this place was still a disaster from Annabel?"

"That would be correct. We're going to have some damage control to do once we're ready to face the world."

"Can't we just go back to bed instead?" she pouted, finishing her toast.

"That," he replied, standing and scooping her into his arms, rolling his eyes just a bit when Kyoko grabbed his toast for him, "could probably be arranged."

 **Yaaaaay, fluffy sin. Did y'all like it? Leave me a review to let me know what you think of how I handled it, especially since this is the first thing I've really done in the mature category of fanfic. :)**


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